Big Brother (TV series)

Big Brother is a television show in which a group of people live together in a large house, isolated from the outside world but continuously watched by television cameras. Each series lasts for around three months, and there are usually fewer than 16 participants. The housemates try to win a cash prize by avoiding periodic evictions from the house. The idea for the show is said to have come during a brainstorm session at the Dutch production house of John de Mol Produkties (an independent part of Endemol) on 4 September 1997. The first Big Brother broadcast was in the Netherlands in 1999 on the Veronica TV channel. It was picked up by Brazil, Germany, Argentina, Portugal, the US, the UK, Spain, Belgium, Sweden, Switzerland and Italy the following year and became a world-wide sensation. Since then it has been a prime-time hit in almost 70 countries. The show's name comes from George Orwell's 1949 novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, a dystopia in which Big Brother can always spy on the inhabitants of the dictatorship he heads through their television sets, with the slogan "Big Brother is watching you."

Format

Although each country has made its own adaptations and changes to the format "Housemates" or "Houseguests" are confined to a specially designed house where their every action is recorded by cameras and microphones at all times and they are not permitted any contact with the outside world.

In most versions, at regular intervals (normally once weekly, as introduced in the UK version, although in most early series it was every two weeks), the housemates are invited to vote to have one of a number of nominated housemates evicted from the house. In some cases two housemates may be evicted simultaneously (a "double eviction"), or rarely, no housemates will be removed for that week. At the end of the game, the last remaining housemate is declared the winner of that particular series and receives prizes, often including a large amount of money, a car, a vacation and (in some editions) a house.

From a sociological and demographic perspective, this format allows the opportunity for analysis of how people react when forced into close confinement with people who lie outside their comfort zone, since they may hold different opinions or ideals from other contestants, or simply belong to a different group of people than a contestant normally interacts with. Indeed, the format is ideally suited to such analysis because the viewer is afforded the opportunity to see how a person reacts on the outside through the constant recording of their actions and also what they feel on the inside through the Diary Room/Confession Room. The results can range from violent or angry confrontations to genuine and tender connections (often including romantic interludes), providing entertainment to the public.

Besides living together under continuous observation, which is the major attraction of the contest, the program relies on four basic props: The stripped-bare back-to-basics environment in which they live, the evictions, the weekly tasks and competitions set by Big Brother and the "Diary/Confession Room," in which the housemates individually convey their thoughts, feelings, and frustrations and reveal their nominees for eviction.

In the first season of most series of Big Brother, the house that the housemates had to live in was very basic. Although essential amenities such as running water, furniture and a limited ration of food were provided, luxury items were often forbidden. This added a survivalist element to the show, increasing the potential for social tension within the house. Nowadays, almost all series provide a modern house for the contest, with a jacuzzi, sauna, VIP suite, loft and other luxuries.

The housemates are required to do housework, and are set tasks by the producers of the show, who communicate with the housemates via the omnipresent authority figure known to them only as "Big Brother." The tasks are designed to test their teamwork abilities and community spirit, and in some countries the housemates' shopping budget or weekly allowance often depends on the outcome of any given tasks. The housemates have a weekly allowance with which they can buy food and other essentials.

At regular intervals, the housemates each privately nominate a number of fellow housemates that they wish to see evicted from the house. The housemates with the most nomination points are then announced and viewers are given the opportunity to vote via telephone for whom they wish to see evicted. The only known exception to this process is the American version, in which the housemates themselves vote to evict each other. After the votes are tallied, the "evictee" leaves the house and is interviewed live by the host of the show, usually in front of a studio audience.

The series is notable for involving the Internet. Although the show typically broadcasts daily updates in the evening (which are sometimes criticized for their heavy editing), viewers can also watch a continuous, 24-hour feed from multiple cameras on the web. These websites were highly successful, even after some national series started charging for access to the video stream. In some countries, Internet broadcasting was supplemented by updates via email, WAP and SMS. The House is even shown live on satellite television, although in some countries, such as the UK, with a 10-15 minute delay to allow libelous or unacceptable content (such as references to people who are not taking part in the program and have therefore not consented to have personal information about them broadcast) to be removed.

Despite derision from many critics, the show has been a commercial success around the world. The voyeuristic nature of the show, in which contestants volunteer to surrender their privacy in return for minor celebrity status and a comparatively small cash prize, has attracted much scorn.^[1] On numerous occasions, participants in the various series have become sexually involved with each other, sometimes engaging in intercourse in front of Big Brother's cameras. This recorded material is typically not broadcast due to its explicit nature, as in the Australian and American editions. Other editions, however, such as the German and British versions, do broadcast it. The Internet stream also captures such moments, which has led to some controversy, with certain jurisdictions such as Greece attempting to have the show removed from the airwaves.^[1]

Most international versions of the show remain quite similar to each other in that their main format remains true to the original fly on the wall, observational style, with the emphasis being on human relationships. This is taken to the extent that contestants are forbidden from discussing nominations or voting strategy altogether. The US version, however, has since 2001 taken on a significantly different format from the others in their second season, with a far stronger emphasis on strategy, competition and voting.

Isolation of contestants

Big Brother contestants are, for the most part, isolated within the house. They have no access to television, radio or the internet and are not allowed routine communication with the outside world. (In special instances the producers have allowed contestants to view televised events; in the UK series the housemates were allowed to watch a 2002 World Cup match, the Inauguration of Barack Obama, and the 2010 World Cup 2nd round game England versus Germany, sometimes as a reward for winning a challenge. In the Philippine series, the housemates also watched the pilot episode of Angelito: Batang Ama as a surprise by Big Brother and the fight between Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez as a reward by winning a task). In some shows books and writing materials are also forbidden. Sometimes in series with this rule an exception is made for religious materials such as the Bible, Torah or Qur'an. Some versions (including the British version) ban all writing implements, extending to any item that can be used to write such as lipstick or eyeliner. Despite the fact that the housemates are generally isolated, on some occasions some houseguests are allowed to exit the house as part of tasks. Housemates are sometimes permitted to exit the house in case of emergencies but must return within 24 hours to avoid being eliminated from the game.

Contestants have regularly scheduled interactions with the show's host (mostly on eviction nights). Throughout each day the program's producer, via the "Big Brother" voice, issues directives and commands to contestants. Some versions of the show allow private counselling sessions with a psychologist. These are allowed at any time, often conducted by telephone from the Diary Room.

Contact from the outside world has taken place in the form of fly-overs by planes carrying banners with messages for the contestants. Whenever these planes are discovered by producers, the house guests are ordered indoors by Big Brother in an effort to prevent them from reading the banners.

Variations in the format

• There are six special pan-regional versions of Big Brother. All these follow the normal Big Brother rules with the exception that contestants must come from each of the different countries in the region where it airs:
  • Africa: Angola, Botswana, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
  • Former Yugoslav Republics: Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro.
  • Arab States: Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Syria and Tunisia.
  • Pacific: Chile, Ecuador and Peru
  • Scandinavia: Norway and Sweden.
  • United Kingdom and Ireland: England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland
• In the third UK series, Big Brother set live tasks for the housemate on a Saturday night in order to win treats. This format was discontinued in the fifth series due to poor ratings. This format has been used in Australia in the form of Friday Night Live.
• The fifth UK edition introduced the "Evil" touch, whereby the character of Big Brother became almost a villain. Big Brother was establishing punishments and was proposing hard tasks and secret tricks. This was also seen in Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Pacific, Scandinavia, Serbia, Spain, Thailand, Philippines and Mexico.
• The sixth UK series introduced secret missions where housemate would be able to win luxuries if they completed a secret task set by Big Brother.
• In the seventh UK series, Big Brother became "twisted." Every week, housemates' mental states were put to the test as Big Brother tried to break them. As a result of this, many housemates broke down.
• The eighth UK series saw an all-female house. However, two days later, one male housemate entered. The same twist was used in Big Brother 4 Bulgaria. Big Brother Africa 4 used the same twist using an all male launch show instead of females.
• Since BB2, The UK series always opens with a twist which have included the public being able to choose the final housemate out of 3 possibilities (BB2), the public voting for a housemate to leave during the first week and then the housemates choosing between the two housemates with the least number of votes (BB3), First Night Nominations (BB4), Suit Case Nominations (BB5), Unlucky Housemate 13 (BB6), Big Brother Hood (BB7), an all-female House and the first inclusion of twins as contestants (BB8), the first couple to enter as housemates and set a secret task to hide their real relationship (BB9), all "housemates" really being "non housemates" who had to earn their housemate status (BB10), a mole entering the House with an "Impossible Task" (BB11), Jackie Stallone entering a house containing her son's ex-wife (CBB3), entrance of a non-celebrity in a celebrity edition (CBB4) Jade Goody's family announced to be visiting. (CBB5). In 2009 during the sixth celebrity series, LaToya Jackson was first to enter and walked straight into the bedrooms - which are usually locked until everyone has arrived - and entered a private bedroom she put her bag on the bed to claim it as her own, it was assumed this was pre-arranged [1], Terry Christian became Head Of House - which had been used in the latter weeks of the previous non-celebrity series - and had to choose three housemates to face the first eviction, which the others later voted to save one of the nominees, Ben Adams, leaving Lucy Pinder and eventual winner Ulrika Jonsson to face the first eviction. In the summer series of 2004 the house at first was empty with only crates to sit on and none of the new arrivals were given housemate status, and had to earn it by doing tasks, some of which were minor sacrifices, the most notable were Noirin Kelly shaving off her hair and drawing a mustache and glasses on her face, which she had to do for almost three weeks until she won a chance to stop doing it, Freddie Fisher and eventual winner Sophie Reade changed their names by deedpoll to Halfwit and Dogface respectively, they were addressed by these names by Big Brother for nine weeks - although their fellow housemates could refer to them by their original names except during nominations - they were given a present by Big Brother in Week 10 to have their original names back. On Day 4 the six people who had not received housemate status were put up for a public vote, the person with the least votes - which turned out to be Beinazir Lasharie - had to leave immediately, the house was then transformed into looking like a Big Brother house. Other countries such as Bulgaria and the United States (and previously Australia) have now started using these opening night twists.
• The fifth UK edition introduced "Fake evictions" where one or two housemates are "evicted"; however, unbeknownst to the housemates, they have in fact not been evicted. The housemate/s usually are put into a secret house where numerous twists happen. In the eighth UK Series one housemate was evicted, interviewed, and then sent straight back into the house. The housemates in the house got to see everything live, though.
• In France and Canada, the format has been developed using couples. 12 single people stay in the same house until only the winning couple are left.
• Big Brother US currently uses a different set of rules that began with the second season (the first season used the traditional format). Nominations are done by one houseguest, the Head of Household (HoH) and the houseguests vote for which nominee to evict, not the viewers. The third season introduced the Power of Veto, where a houseguest can save a nominee causing the Head of Household to name a replacement nominee. It's been adapted in Brazil and Africa and since then some countries modified their nominations rules.
• The eighth American season introduced "America's Player," a houseguest that is given assignments, unknown to the other houseguests, through votes from the viewing public. Included in the public voting is which nominated houseguest America's Player should vote off and campaign to get evicted. (Dan was "America's Player" on Big Brother 10 (U.S) This was also seen in the second Teen Edition and third regular season of the Philippine version as the "House Player."
• The third Dutch edition introduced the notion of "The Battle," in which the house is separated into a luxurious half and a poor half, with two teams of housemates constantly fighting for time in the luxurious half. Separated houses have also been used in:
  • Netherlands, 2001 and Netherlands, 2002, The Housemates lived in a house with 2 areas: Rich and Poor.
  • Poland, 2002, The Housemates lived in a house with 2 areas: Rich and Poor.
  • UK, 2002, The Housemates lived in a house with 2 areas: Rich and Poor (effective from the 3rd to 6th week).
  • Australia, 2003, The Housemates lived in a house with 2 areas: Round House and Square House (effective until Day 22).
  • Denmark, 2003, The Housemates lived in a house with 2 areas: Rich and Poor.
  • Germany, 2003, The Housemates lived in a house with 2 areas: Rich and Poor.
  • Greece, 2003, The Housemates lived in a house with 2 areas: Rich and Poor.
  • Norway, 2003, The Housemates lived in a house with 2 areas: Rich and Poor.
  • Spain, 2004, The Housemates lived in a house with 2 areas: Rich and Poor.
  • Germany, 2004-2005, The Housemates lived in a house with 3 areas: Rich, Normal and Survivor.
  • Scandinavian Peninsula, 2005, The Housemates lived in a house with 2 areas: Norwegian House and Swedish House (effective on the 1st week).
  • Germany, 2005-2006, The Housemates lived in a village with 3 houses. Rich, Normal and Poor.
  • Slovakia, 2005, The Housemates lived in a house with 2 areas: Rich and Poor.
  • Italy, 2006, The Housemates lived in a house with 2 areas: Rich and Poor.
  • UK, 2007, The Housemates lived in a house with 2 areas: Masters (Luxurious area) and Servants (Basic area) (effective from the 3rd to 6th day).
  • Italy, 2007, The Housemates lived in a house with 2 areas: Normal and Dump.
  • Spain, 2008, The Housemates lived in a house with 2 areas: House Big Brother Season 10 and House Big Brother Season 1 (effective to 4th week).
  • Germany, 2008, The Housemates lived in a house with 2 areas: Rich and Poor.
  • Slovenia, 2008, The Housemates lived in a house with 2 areas: Rich and Poor.
  • Germany, 2008-2009, The Housemates lived in a house with 2 areas: Heaven and Hell.
  • UK, 2008, The Housemates lived in a house with 2 areas: Heaven and Hell (effective from the 6th to 10th week).
  • Brazil, 2009, The Housemates lived in a house with 2 areas: Rich and Poor (effective on the 1st week).
  • Israel, 2009, The Housemates lived in a house with 2 areas: Rich and Poor (effective from the 4th to the 8th week).
  • Spain, 2009-2010, The Housemates lived in a house with 2 areas: Normal house and Spy house (effective to 6th week).
  • Finland, 2009, The Housemates lived in a house with 2 areas: Paradise and Slum (effective from the 2nd to 10th week).
  • Philippines, 2009, there are two separate group of housemates who lived in two different houses: House A (Antoni Gaudí architectural design inspired) and House B (Vincent van Gogh paintings inspired). (effective until the 9th week; each two sets of housemates compete each other for the weekly allowance. Two nominees from each house are nominated every week. The lowest number of votes is evicted. House B was re-opened on the 16th week as part of a season twist).
  • US, 2009-present: HouseGuests had to compete to become Haves or Have Nots. Have Nots were required to sleep in the Have Not Bedroom, which contained simply a large metal bed with a thin pillow and blanket for Season 11 but in Season 12 they were forced to sleep on a lawn chair. Have Nots were only able to eat slop and could only take cold showers. Season 13's Have Not Room looked like an insane asylum padded room type room and the Have Nots for the week were forced to keep the lights on 24/7.
  • Serbia, VIP 2010, The Housemates lived in a house with 2 areas: Rich and Poor.
  • Albania, 2010, The Housemates lived in a house with 2 areas: Rich and Poor.
  • Philippines Teen 3, 2010, The Housemates lived in a house with 2 areas: The Villa and The Apartment.
  • Spain, 2010, The Housemates lived in a house with 2 areas: Normal house and Future house (effective to 6th week). Then the Normal house became "La Casa Repesca" where ex-housemates competing to become housemates of the future Big Brother.
  • Africa, 2010, The Housemates lived in the house without knowing that Evicted Housemates were exiled in the Barn where they watched the house and the Barnmates were able to nominate the housemates living in the house without the Housemates knowing. (Effective for 63 days from Day 14 to Day 77)
  • Africa, 2011, The Housemates lived in two houses, Heads & Tails. (Effective for 50 days from Day 7 to Day 57)
  • Ex Yugoslavia, 2011, The Housemates lived in a house with 2 areas: Luxurious and Dump.
  • Philippines, 2011, Housemates are living in three Houses: Slums (Effective until Day 22), Industrial House (Effective from Day 8) and the Luxury House (Effective from Day 18).
• In Germany a new version of the show started: Big Brother - Das Dorf (Big Brother - The Village). It was the sixth season and started the same day season 5 ended. This was the first version supposed to run for years (without a predetermined end). It was set in a small artificial village including a church tower, a marketplace, 3 houses, 3 working areas (farm, car garage, dressmaking, a matcharena, a pub, a fitness room, and later a small hotel, into which celebrities from the real world could move). The season ended after 363 days in February 2006 because of low ratings. In season seven, RTL II switched back to a traditional version.
• The fourth Greek season introduced a new element: the mother. In Big Mother, nine housemates take part in the game with their mothers, with whom they must coexist during the contest. The "mamas" were not able to win the prize but they would stay with their children until their eviction. However, this proved to be a failure with the show's audience and the show switched back to the traditional Big Brother format in mid-season. This concept, in modified form, was used in the second Philippine Teen edition, wherein the guardians. the housemates' kins, had a separate winner.
• In the tenth week of Seventh UK season, the housemates were paired with their "best friend" in the house and had to nominate and face eviction as couples. The ninth American season took this format and added a romantic aspect, by pairing the Housemates up and having them compete as couples chosen by their compatibility to each other.
• The ninth Brazilian season featured the "Bubble," a glass house built inside a shopping mall in Rio de Janeiro where 4 housemate-wannabes lived for a week until 2 of them were voted to enter the actual household. Later in the same season, a new "Bubble" was built inside the Big Brother household, with another 2 housemates living inside it for a week until they were voted in and the glass house dismantled.
• Introduced in the fifth season of the American series, several countries have included twins, and in some cases triplets, in their shows. Series that have used Housemates who are twins or triplets are:
  • US, 2004, Adria Montgomery-Klein and Natalie Montgomery-Carroll, 7th (Adria) and 8th (Natalie) Evicted, Used Name: "Adria."
  • Australia, 2005, David and Greg Matthew, 14th Evicted (David) and Winner (Greg, although the prize money was split), Used Name: "Logan" (Middle name of both Twins).
  • Germany, 2005-2006, Beate and Birgit, 26th Evicted (Beate) and 33rd Evicted (Birgit).
  • Bulgaria, 2006, Lyubov, Nadejda, and Vyara Stancheva, 7th (Nadejda) and 9th (Vyara) Evicted, Winner (Lyubov), Used Name: "Vyara."
  • UK, 2007, Amanda and Sam Marchant, 2nd Place (both were treated separately until Day 68 when they became one). They were then known in the media as Samanda
  • France, 2007, Marjorie, Cyrielle and Johanna Bluteau, Winners (They competed as a team).
  • Spain, 2007, Conchi and Pamela De Los Santos, 2nd Place.
  • Poland, 2007, Aneta and Martyna Bielecka, 4th Evicted (They were discovered as twins), Used Name: "Martyna."
  • India, 2008, Sana and Alina, 4th Evicted (Sana was introduced as Alina but the housemates soon found her to be different person and both were out at the eviction)
  • Israel, 2008, Leon and Boris Schneiderovsky, 1st Evicted (Boris) and 5th Place (Leon).
  • Africa, 2009, Edward and Erastus Moongo, 7th Evicted (Erastus) and 3rd Place (Edward).
  • Serbia, 2009 Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia and Montenegro, Admir and Enis Mujabašić, and Violeta and Kristina Raleva.
  • Philippines, 2009, Kenny & Toffi Santos and JM & JP Lagumbay. The twins in each set originally must switch roles when instructed (only true with the Santos twins after JP's exit, but JM must still assume JP's identity when instructed). JP voluntary exited and JM along with the Santos Twins were forcibly evicted.
  • Portugal, 2010, Renato and Mário Lima. They have to take turns in the house without the other housemates discover that they are twins. If they succeed they become two housemates, if they don't, both will be up for eviction and one of them will leave. The name used during the turns is Renato. The secret was found on Day 2 and therefore both are up for eviction. On Day 4 Mário was evicted, being the first housemate evicted on the series. Renato was the 5th housemate evicted, on Day 28.
  • Israel, 2011, Rinat and Shiran Guitter, 4th Evicted (Shiran) and 5th Evicted (Rinat).
  • France, 2011, Zarko and Zelko, the Master of the underground
  • UK, 2011, Jedward, joined as one housemate finishing in 3rd Place.
  • Ukraine, 2011, Nazar and Taras, enter in the house on Day 42, Taras is Walked on day 57,13th Evicted (Nazar)
  • Argentina, 2011, Fabricio & Leonardo and Jesica & Jimena, enter in the house on Day 10 in House 2.Jesica & Jimena (Evicted Day 17),Fabricio is Walked on day 47, 6th Evicted (Leonardo)
• A variation of the above twist was done in the second Celebrity Edition of the Philippine version wherein two housemates related by profession or as familial relationships are considered as 2-in-1 housemates wherein they were to play as one housemate until an appointed time.
• In Celebrity Hijack UK evicted housemates were given the opportunity to affect the house one last time and had to choose if a "ninja" delivered good or bad gifts to the house. Later that year Big Brother Australia 2008 introduced the 'Housemate Hand Grenade,' where the evicted housemate was given the power to decide which housemate receives a big brother devised penalty.
• Big Brother 5 Bulgaria, which started in early 2010 introduced a new family format - Big Brother Family. For the very first time whole families entered the House with their spouses, children and relatives. They received a salary for their stay and the winning family will receive a big cash prize, a car and an apartment.
• The twelfth American season featured a Saboteur who entered the house to "wreak havoc on their fellow HouseGuests", with tasks suggested by viewers. The Big Brother Saboteur will not be eligible to win the game, but will be able to receive financial reward if they can reach the halfway point of the game. However, the Saboteur was evicted in the first week by the Houseguests therefore losing the possible reward. Later in the same season Big Brother announced that a new Saboteur may be unleashed in the house, and America voted on who they wanted the new Saboteur to be, and if they accept the offer, they have to act out two week of havoc in the house and if successful for those two weeks, he or she will earn a financial reward.
• Big Brother Africa 6 in 2011 is the first season of Big Brother in the world to have 2 winners, each getting $200,000.
• The thirteenth American season introduced "Dynamic Duos" for the first time, where 8 new houseguests would enter the house with 3 duos from seasons past. The 8 new contestants would pair up, and all 7 teams of 2 would compete. If a contestants partner won Head of Household, they would be immune for that week. The Head of Household would nominate one duo for eviction, and the power of veto could save one duo from the block. If someone's partner got evicted, the surviving partner would receive the big brother golden key, where they were immune from all evictions until there were 10 players left. Those players with the golden key would not be eligible to compete in any competitions. The final 10 marked the end of the twists. It later returned for week 8 only after the HOH opened Pandor'a Box.
• The fourth Philippine season features Unli-Day and Unli-Night, where two separate groups of housemates will be covered by two separate main programs.
• The fourth Philippine season introduced reserved housemates, a number of shortlisted auditionees who are given a chance to be an official housemate by completing several tasks by Big Brother. This is also used in Argentina's seventh season.
• The Philippine version has introduced the 100 Seconds session in which housemates are given a chance to see, talk and be with their loved one for only 100 seconds inside the Confession Room. This was introduced in its first season and was later used in succeeding seasons.^[2]

Special editions of Big Brother

Celebrity Big Brother / Big Brother VIP

The Big Brother format has been adapted in some countries in that the housemates are locally known celebrities (The celebrity status of the housemate can be rather limited, such as being the face of a US PETA advert and appearing in the UK show, Shilpa Shetty where no one had ever heard of her.) These shows are called Celebrity Big Brother or Big Brother VIP, depending on where the series is. In some countries, the prize money normally awarded to the winning housemate is donated to a charity, and all celebrities are paid to appear in the show as long as they do not voluntarily leave before their eviction or the end of the series. The rest of the format rules are almost the same as the ones from the original version, although in many occasions they are not so strict due to the exceptional character of the program. The series has been a prime-time hit in many countries and was aired for the first time in 1999, in the Netherlands.

• A second variant appeared in the Netherlands in 2006: Hotel Big Brother. A group of celebrity hoteliers and a Big Boss run a hotel, collecting money for charity without nominations, evictions or winner.
• A third variant appeared in the UK in early 2008: Big Brother: Celebrity Hijack, temporarily replacing the 2007 edition of Celebrity Big Brother while a racial abuse incident in Celebrity Big Brother 2007 cooled down. Instead of the celebrities playing the role of housemates, the celebrities in fact become Big Brother himself. The celebrities create tasks, hold nominations, and so on with the help of Big Brother. The housemates of the show are considered by the producers "Britain's most exceptional and extraordinary" 18-21 year olds. The prize for the winner of the series was £50,000.^[3]
• VIP Brother 3 Bulgaria introduced in 2009 an entirely new conception of the show, where the celebrities compete for charity causes, and sometimes they are allowed to leave the House in order to gain money for the given cause, which is different each week.

Other editions

The Big Brother format has been extensively modified in some countries, most often to the point where the housemates are either teenagers or housemates from previous seasons. The winners of these seasons are often eligible to win the prize for themselves, unlike most of the celebrity edition versions.

• Big Brother: Ty wybierasz (Big Brother: You Decide - Poland, season 1: 13 days; season 2: 7 days). A group of people -10 in season 1 and 6 in season 2- living together and competing for a pair of spots in the next regular season. It was made before the first two main Big Brother seasons. Without nominations or evictions.
• Big Brother, Tilbake I Huset (Big Brother, Back In The House - Norway, 9 days). The BB1 Norway housemates living together again. They also welcome 4 new housemates, who are competing for a spot in the next regular season. Without nominations or evictions.
• Big Brother Stjärnveckan (Big Brother, Week Of Stars - Sweden, 6 days); Big Brother, Reality All Star (Denmark, 32 days); Gran Hermano: el Gran Reencuentro (Spain, current season). Season with contestants from several reality shows, including Big Brother.
• Big Brother Panto (United Kingdom, 11 days). Housemate from previous series spent time in the Big Brother House in order to perform a pantomime at the end of the series.
• Teen Big Brother (United Kingdom, 10 days; Philippines, 42 days (Season 1), 77 days (Season 2), 78 days (Season 3)). Teenage housemates (15 years old and above) competing in a BB house.
• Big Brother: All-Stars (Belgium, 21 days; United States, 72 days; United Kingdom, 18 days; Canada, 64 days; Africa, 91 days;Spain, 56 days.
• Veliki Brat: Generalna Proba (Big Brother Try Out - Serbia, 7 days). 12 Serbian contestants competing for a spot in the next Big Brother Balkans season. Without nominations or evictions.
• Gran Hermano: El Reencuentro (Spain, 56 Days): An All Stars special edition to celebrate ten years of show. Enemy ex-housemates compete, nominate and will be evicted in pairs.

There are also "test runs" with a group of celebrities or journalists living together in the house during a few days, with the only goal being testing out the house. There are occasions where people who have auditioned for the show are also put in the house, most notably in the British edition, where many housemates claim to have met before. Series such as these are known to occur in Argentina, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Germany, Mexico, Pacific, Philippines, Spain and many other countries. In some cases, it is not broadcast, but in others, such as the US edition, it is used as a promotional tool.

Big Brother series

There are currently 261 winners of the Big Brother format. The most recent winner is João Mota from Portugal.

Big Brother exchange

When two seasons in different countries are taking place simultaneously, housemates are sometimes temporarily exchanged between them.

Ex-Big Brother exchange

Ex-Big Brother visit

Casting selection Big Brother exchange

Inter-Big Brother competitions

Song contest (Eurovision Song Contest)

Penalty Shootout (FIFA World Cup)

Subtitles of Big Brother series

These are some of the subtitles of Big Brother shows around the world. These are not the local title of the show.

Near-copies of Big Brother

There are a number of different formats around the globe that use rules similar to Big Brother, here are the most notable:

• 12 Negrityat (And Then There Were None): Russia (1)
• 360 Estudio: Puerto Rico (1)
• Back To Reality: UK (1 season)
• Big Mama House: Bosnia and Herzegovina (2)
• Carre Viip: France (1)
• Casa dos Artistas: Brazil (4)
• Der Container Exklusiv: Germany (1)
• Golod (The Hunger): Russia (1)
• Hotel Glam: Spain (1)
• Kazafi I Arte: Albania (6)
• Les Colocataires: France (1)
• Nice People: France (1)
• Proyect Y: Israel (2)
• Singel 24-7: Norway (1)
• Syri Magjik: Albania (1)
• The Bar
• The Bus
• The Farm
• The Frame: Austria (1), France (1), Germany (1), Greece (1), Spain (1), USA (1)
• The Box: Ireland (1)
• The Golden Cage: Netherlands (1)
• Taxi Orange/Biri Bizi Gozëtliyor: Austria (2), Cyprus (1) and Turkey (6)
• Unan1mous: Arab World (1), Italy (1), Norway (1), Russia (1), Spain (1), UK (1) and US (1)
• ValóVilág / VyVolení: Czech Republic (3), Hungary (5), Slovakia (3)
• Za Steklom (Behind the Glass): Russia (3), Ukraine (1)
• הדור הבא 24/7(The next generation 24 / 7): Israel (1)

See also

• List of television show franchises

Bibliography

• Johnson-Woods, Toni (2002). Big Bother: Why Did That Reality TV Show Become Such a Phenomenon?. Australia: University of Queensland Press. pp. 256. ISBN 0-7022-3315-3. 

Notes

External links

• CBS Official Site
• Big brother Israel Official Site (Hebrew)